Chapter 22: Meeting Zachary

Nathaniel:

Givontair is in the process of washing his poison wound with soap. I wanted to be the one who did it, but he didn't let me. His skin, even in human form, is sturdier than the skin of a human. He already took a multipurpose antidote. 

That doesn't make me worry any less. What if the antidote doesn't include the skeleton's poison? Givontair seems to be calm, but I can see that he looks tired. If only I was faster with the shadows, I would have done more for him. 

"Quit beating yourself up," the dragon shifter says. "You did your part of the fighting. Be happy about that." 

"I should have been protecting you," I counter. He snorts. 

"And you did. If I was swarmed by the shadows, I would have had to turn back into a human. You just don't know how hard it is, to fight something with a regular size, as a dragon," I do have a couple of ideas about that. The shadows would have fought dirty. Weaving in and out from Givontair's sight. Only to attack him where he least expected it. "I can't move around all that much, for now. I need to let the antidote work for a while. Can you go and search for the rubies?" 

I nod, and then go back into the direction of the pits. There is shadow goo everywhere. The skeleton is now like a spilled sack of flour. I am glad now that I have a mask on. The surrounding stench is overwhelming.

Yet, after a while, I find the geode. It is as big as a tall tree, and it seems to have places chipped out of it. I can also feel the necromantic mana coming out of it. Frowning, I take out a pickaxe from my bottomless bag, and begin to chip away at the geode. When I get a couple of rubies out, I flood the geode with more necromantic mana. 

Normally, it is never a good idea to place your mana into an object, that already has mana in it. Yet, I have no choice now. If I don't act, then whoever soaked the geode with the mana, will just use it as a corner stone, to make more undead in the area. 

Instead of my mana getting the upper hand, the geode splits in two. There is something in the middle. A ring. I scan it for mana, and find that there is no necromantic mana inside of it.

Just nature mana. Ah, so that is how the geode formed. I take the ring, and one half of the geode. After which, I go back to Givontair. He seems to be in pain, yet, he is still holding it together. 

I go to him, and then place the ring in his hand. 

"A little something for your hoard. It can grow geodes," I say. Givontair hums, and places the ring on the ground. Then, he pours mana inside of it. A wonderful amethyst geode springs to life. Givontair claps his hands. 

"Do you know what this is?" He asks. I shake my head. This is the first time that I see such a thing. "This is the Ring of Abundance. It was thought lost." 

"I thought that it is just a tale," I say. Givontair looks around, as if searching for something. 

"Where is your pickaxe?" He asks. I hand it to him. It becomes obvious to me, then, that Givontair is going to break the geode open. 

"Wait, let me," I say, as I take the pickaxe back. "You shouldn't do anything too strenuous. What with your foot, and all?" 

"I am not a cripple," Givontair protests. I can see that his inner dragon wants the amethysts from the geode. He behaves like a normal person, most of the time. Yet, this is the first time, I see greed in his eyes.

"I didn't say you were," I tell him. "Yet, you are hurt. As a healer, you must know that what you almost did won't be good for your health." 

He ponders on my words for a time, and then smiles. 

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"But I will get all the gems?" He asks. I chuckle at his enthusiasm. 

"Down to the very last amethyst," I assure him, as I begin my work. "While I am chipping at this, do you mind making dinner?" 

We do have one rabbit in his bottomless bag. It won't take long, for Givontair to make something. 

"Sure, I'll just do that," the dragon agrees. As I sweat during the work, the smell of a pleasant rabbit stew fills the air. We hear footsteps come from the direction of the forest. A wizard, for there is no chance that he is anything else, while wearing such robes, comes to us with a soft smile on his lips. He is not red-haired, though. He is pale blonde, with caramel skin. 

"You took care of the sulfur pits?" The man asks. Then, he eyes the geode I am chipping at. "And you even found a treasure there?" 

"Are you the wizard that was supposed to cleanse the river?" Givontair asks, as he tends to the stew.

"It is not my official duty," this must be the wrong thing to say because Givontair narrows his eyes. 

"Not your official duty? You have the power to clean the river. So, it is your duty!" Givontair snaps. The wizard makes a couple of steps back. 

"I just... I needed the mana for other projects," the wizard defends himself. Then, he blinks. "Oh, wait, we don't know each other's names. My name is Zachary. And you are?" 

"Givontair and Nathaniel," Giv nods at me when he says my name. 

"Givontair the White?" Zachary pales at that. I sigh. 

"Giv, you really need to change your name," I tell him, as I begin my work anew. 

"I will never do that. Let the humans think that people are naming their children after me," Givontair counters. I just sigh. He is a tough nut to crack. I just hope that anyone is willing to buy the story that he is dead. 

"Well, I'll clean the river, if you promise not to burn down my house," Zachary says, his tone almost in a panicked state. 

"You will clean the river every day," Givontair all but hisses. "And we will give you something that you won't be able to refuse." 

I look at the ring, surrounded by precious metal. I wonder if just any dragon would have given such a thing to someone they just met. 

"And what is that?" Zachary's fear begins to give way to his greed. It is not every day, that a dragon promises a piece of his horde. 

"A ring that can produce geodes. Ones, which are so steeped in mana, that your runes will be stronger than ever," Givontair says, and then goes back to stirring the stew. I renew my work. Zachary looks at me, and then at the geode. Slowly, he goes by the fire, and sits down. 

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